La Cave à Champagne
What to order: the €29.50 menu sympa and a bottle of grower champagne for the table
Open lunch and dinner from Thursday to Monday, Sunday included
geocalia
Day itinerary · 49.04° N · 3.96° E
Épernay in a day, an hour and twenty minutes from Paris on a direct train.
Direct train from Gare de l'Est, the Moët & Chandon cellars, lunch at La Cave à Champagne, two hours through the vineyards in a vintage Estafette and the Castellane tower.
Leaving from
Direct flight to París fromAsturias 1 h 45Barcelona 1 h 45Bilbao 1 h 45Santander 1 h 45Madrid 2 hPalma de Mallorca 2 hSantiago de Compostela 2 hValencia 2 hAlicante 2 h 15Ibiza 2 h 15
Part of ÉpernayChampagne Wines
Add to my trip
Total time10 h
By car1 h 45 each way
From ParisTrain · 1 h 20
CellarsFrom €48
DifficultyEasy
Cost€150–200 pp
Best timeMay – Oct and December
With childrenNot much
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Paris 1 h 15 by train
direct train Gare de l'Est – Épernay
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1
A Walk along the Avenue de Champagne
10 min on foot from the station, crossing the town hall park
- 3 min on foot
- 2
- 8 min on foot
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3
La Cave à Champagne
menu sympa €29.50 · open on Sunday · book
16 rue Gambetta, 51200 Épernay · +33 3 26 32 20 51
Restaurant €€Book - 8 min on foot
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4
A Vineyard Tour in a Vintage Estafette
My Vintage Tour Company · from €49 · leaves from the tourist office
+33 6 64 33 93 84
- 15 min on foot
- 5
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Back home 1 h 15 by train
at Gare de l'Est around 19:30
Approximate cost
About €140–150 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
A Walk along the Avenue de Champagne
Épernay is the champagne day trip that works best without a car: a direct train of an hour and twenty minutes from the Gare de l'Est, a UNESCO World Heritage avenue ten minutes from the station and a vintage van with a driver to see the vineyards. That way nobody has to drive after the tasting.
The day, hour by hour
8:10 · Train from Gare de l'Est. Direct to Épernay in an hour and twenty minutes. On leaving, straight ahead through the town hall park.
9:40 · The avenue de Champagne. 1.5 km of mansions of the great houses, with some 200 million bottles in the cellars below. Start at the tourist office, at number 7.
10:30 · The Moët & Chandon cellars. The Instant Impérial visit, an hour and a half, goes down to the chalk galleries and ends with Brut Impérial and Rosé Impérial: €48, with a time booked online, in French or English. Bring a jacket.
12:30 · Lunch at La Cave à Champagne. Home-style regional cooking and growers' champagne, menu at €29.50. Open on Sundays.
14:00 · The vineyards by Estafette. My Vintage Tour Company leaves from in front of the tourist office: two hours through the slopes of the Marne valley, in Spanish, with a glass in the middle of the vines. From €49.
16:30 · The Castellane tower. 237 steps up to a view of the whole town and a glass of Brut Croix Rouge, €20. Open until 18:00.
18:00 · Return. Train to Gare de l'Est; in Paris around 19:30.
Is it for me?
If you like wine, it is one of the most complete day trips from Paris, and it is done entirely on foot. With children it works less well: swap one cellar for the wine museum. By car it is about 145 km along the A4, an hour and a half according to the tourist office.
Distance1.5 km
Time1 h
Change the route
With children or if it rains: the Château Perrier museum, free for under-13s:
The Champagne Wine Museum at the Château Perrier
For a special lunch on the avenue: midday menu at €50:
Bulles & Bonheur, the Restaurant
On 11 and 12 December 2026, stay for the evening events on the avenue:
Habits de Lumière, the Avenue Celebrates in December
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Chez Max
What to order: the set menu of the day and a dish cooked in champagne
Open Sunday lunchtime; closed Monday
La Grillade Gourmande
What to order: whatever comes off the wood fire and a champagne dessert
Tuesday to Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday
Bulles & Bonheur, the Restaurant
What to order: the Rose lunchtime menu, at €50, with a champagne pairing for €35 more
Open Thursday to Monday, lunch and dinner; 18 covers, book ahead
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Épernay
All year; from May to October the vines are green or at harvest. In December, the Habits de Lumière from 11 to 13 December 2026. It is a good Sunday plan: Moët and La Cave à Champagne are open.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book both activities
Moët and the Estafette route work with places and times.
- 2Two tastings are enough
With the cellar and the glass in the vineyards you have more than enough; the tower can go without a glass if you prefer.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the trip to Épernay cost?
Train aside, between €150 and €200 per person with the cellar, the vineyard route, the tower and lunch.
Can it be done on a Sunday?
Yes: Moët & Chandon, La Cave à Champagne and the Estafette route run on Sundays.
Do I need to speak French?
The vineyard route is in Spanish; the Moët visit, in French or English.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/france/grand-est/epernay/itineraries/epernay-avenue-de-champagne-and-moet-chandon
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.